The Murder of a Kentucky Dairy Queen
A killer no one could have suspected
Madisonville, Kentucky describes itself as “The Best Town on Earth,” and locals agree. Located in the Western Coal Region, Madisonville is a hub for manufacturing and, yes, coal mining. There are multiple public lakes in the area, trails that wind through the rolling blue hills and thick forests, and bustling downtown life. Founded in 1808 and with a 2021 population of just under 20,000 people, if you stick around long enough, Madisonville becomes the type of place where “everyone knows everyone.”
On the mild winter day of January 13, 2003, though, the town’s serenity faced upheaval. Word spread quickly of the murder of a local multi-millionaire and owner of the town’s first Dairy Queen, Anna Mae “Ann” Branson. Branson, 85, had the youthful vigor and sass of a woman thirty years younger. She gave her time to numerous civic causes and, by all accounts, generously shared her wealth.
Beloved by old and young alike, Branson steeped herself in community activities. After her husband of fifty-nine years, Carroll Gooch Branson, died in 1994, her presence in Madisonville remained the same. Anna Mae Branson knew everybody, and everyone knew her.
When Branson’s new fiancé, Dr. Bob Fenneman, came to pick her up for a morning date and received no answer at…
